Early predictions for summer issued by the IMD indicate that temperatures will remain high from March to May.
The heat wave continues to beat down on Mumbai. The city has been experiencing an average temperature of 38 degree Celsius since Saturday. While weather bureau officials claim that on an average the normal maximum temperature in February lingers around 32 degree Celsius, this was proving to be the hottest February in recent times.
“Its feeling like peak summer heat of May when actually March has just begun. Travelling on roads after 11 am to around 3 pm is leaving one dazed and even sick,” said Ramesh Rane, a Borivali resident who works at a bank in Bandra Kurla Complex.
Rane said that he decided to stop riding his two-wheeler to work since Tuesday as the Western Express Highway was already choked with traffic and the heat was simply unbearable, given the increase in heat due to lack of green cover all along the highway. “In fact, on Tuesday I felt I will collapse due to heat stroke and that is when I decided to stop travelling by two-wheeler and take a train,” he said.
If one looks at the maximum temperatures since Saturday, which recorded the second highest temperature this season so far, it was only on Monday that the mercury measured 34.7 degree Celsius.
On Sunday, February 26, the maximum temperature in Colaba was 37.3 degree Celsius while in Santacruz it was 38.3 degree Celsius. The temperature on Monday, February 27, dipped as Colaba recorded maximum 32.7 degree Celsius while Santacruz was 34.7 degree Celsius. However, on February 28 the temperature shot up again as the maximum temperature in Colaba measured 37.0 degree Celsius while Santacruz saw mercury rising to 38.3 degree Celsius.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature recorded in Colaba was 32.8 degree Celsius while in Santacruz it was 36.6 degree Celsius.
Speaking to DNA, Shubhangi Bhute, director, Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai, said that the city was experiencing such extremely high temperature due to the heat wave in isolated pockets of South Konkan, Saurashtra, Kutch and some pockets of Gujarat state. “There is also a high difference between the minimum and maximum levels of humidity being witnessed in the city, that was also the reason behind the rising temperature,” she said.
Bhute also said that Mumbai was also experiencing extremely strong easterly winds, which were delaying the settling in of sea breeze. “The sea breeze or the westerly winds are the ones that regulates temperatures in a coastal city like Mumbai and if they set in late the temperature remains high. As per the forecast, the heat wave is likely to continue on Wednesday and situation is likely to become normal from Thursday,” she said.
Bhute added that the early predictions for summer issued by the IMD indicated that temperatures will remain high from March to May by almost a degree
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 "Mumbai heat wave")
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